IC: YARR!, Here be ye IC thread.... Options

[Sandoval Smith]

As she drew closer to the ship, Corinna dropped down to sea level, bouncing her astral form off the waves. It looked like another yacht, with a pretty good compliment of people. Having a party? She hoped so. She circled it, staying close to the water to help obscure her aura if there was anyone or anything on board that could see her.

She'd give it a good look-see, and if there didn't seem to be anyone astral or awakened on board, she'd go hang about on deck, see what there was to see, and hear what there was to hear, then report back to the captain.
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[ Spoiler ]

Perception: scoping the boat for astral viewers: 5,4,4,4,3,1
Perception: listening for interesting conversations, and just looking to see what's what on board: 10,10,3,2,2,1

[RangerJoe]

Closer inspection of the vessel reveals no indications of astral patrols, however, the deck and hold are teeming with living auras, mostly in a state of desperation and distress. The conversation is largely a patois of a distinctly asian-sounding language.

[Sandoval Smith]

Corinna drew up short, hovering just above the deck, looking down at all the auras. This was definitely _not_ a party boat. She tried to listen in on what was being said, but she couldn't understand the language they were using. It sounded asiatic to her, which narrowed it down to Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Tagalog, or any one of a dozen other tongues. They sounded upset though, and the colors flashing through their auras indicated unhappiness, despair.

The ship's engines were running, so they weren't upset about being a drift. Since they were in the Caribbean, then the likelihood that this was a refugee boat of some sort was... well, pretty slim. She passed through the deck to take a look below (being careful to try and not go through anyone else; she felt it quite rude) and see if there was anything else she could discover about the boat.

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[ Spoiler ]

Perception: looking for anything out of the unusual below decks 9,4,4,4,2,1
Once she's done scoping out the boat, she's going to report back to the Captain (so one more IC post from me after this)

[RangerJoe]

Passing through the ghostly forms of the spectral ship, Corinna observes that the vessel has one large central compartment that is filled with swarming and teeming auras, which after some peering, you recognize as fish in a heightened state of distress. Next to the large room is a smaller room, with rows of metahumans sitting at long tables. The fish auras are even more distressed here, although some glow faintly, or even sputter out before your very eyes.

Floating back above decks, you notice something you had not seen before, a smallish, but fairly intense aura glowing by the side of the man at the ship's wheel.

[Ray Becker]

Ralph was loving it the sound of the wind the rocking of the boat as the waves lifted it, now this was the life no others clogging up the water ways like they did on land with those damn roads and cars aye this was the life. The party last night was a particulally exciting one yet it brought to mind a song he'd heard many years ago it was one from before....

"How did it go agin?...Oh yes thats right...
What shall we do with a drunkon sailor,
what shall we do witrh a drunkon sailer,
what shall we do with drunkon sailer,
erli in the morin
ooo are rais a bottle
ooo are rais a bottle
ooo are rais a bottle
erli in the morin
aye that be the way it went"

[Lindt]

Rodger climbs up from below decks.
"Ralph, if ya is gonna flap yur jowls, at least get the words right."
Iron rolls along the deck swaying in time with the waves.

[Ray Becker]

Ralph glanced over towards Rodger

"What? That be the way ah be taught to sing it when I was a lad. If it be wrong then ye sing it matey!"

he said,

[Lindt]

"Auh come offa it. Tha versh 's got something to do with sleeping with someones daughter, or rusty razers, er something foul as such"
Roger rolls with a swell and braces aginst a gunwell.

"Ah what would ya do wit a drunker sailor
what would ya do wit a drunken sailor
what would ya do wit a drunken sailor
what would ya do wit a DruNKer sailor
Earl-I in da Morn-ing
Trice him up in a runnin' bowline
Trice him up in a runnin' bowline
Trice him up in a runnin' bowline
Earl-I in da Morn-ing!"

Roger drains the last from the bottle

"There be so many different verses, I could go on all day if ah so want-er-ed"

[ Spoiler ]

The Drunken Sailor
There she be songs of the sea

[Sandoval Smith]

Corinna's astral form hung in midair for a few moments trying to puzzle out just what was going on on this ship. The people on it were unhappy, and the fish in the tank unhappier still. That in and of itself was rather odd, and then there was the room next door. Could've been a cafeteria, and they were cutting up the fish for lunch, or it could have been an icthylogical surgery. The astral enviroment was too muddled up with aura activity to be sure. The ship passed around her, and on the way out she noticed another, strangely bright aura by the wheel man. Her curiosity was piqued, but she knew she'd better get back to ShipNameHere and tell the captain what was up.]

It took her a few minutes to get back, and so she decided to just materialize in front of Sven. "Heya Captain, I found a vessel out there," she said, then gave him its position and heading. "Something funny's going on over there though. It's about the size of our boat, and it's got quite a few people on it. It looks like they need some help. I'm going back for a closer look." She dissolved, and was gone again with a thought, flying back to the other ship to take a look at that other aura.

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[ Spoiler ]

Corinna will be hanging back a bit, trying not to be noticed herself while she checks out that other aura.
Perception: 11,5,4,3,1,1

[RangerJoe]

Hoving back over to the other ship, Corinna's astral form again peers at the strange dull glow. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a focus--a blade no larger than a hand's length, with a intricately wrought handle. The knife glows with a faint blue light on the astral. It's glow is fainter than Corinna's suggesting that it is less magically potent than she. The knife swings loosely in a scabbard on wheel man's side, as he gently steers the craft and occaisionally hollering invectives at his crew. It is difficult to say whose magical aura is imbued within the focus, as the tendrils of magical ju-ju eminating from the knife grow nebulous and indistinct as they float away from the blade.

[ Spoiler ]

It's a weapons focus, of a force less than 6, bearing an astral signature you cannot connect with anyone else's on the boat.

[Ray Becker]

Ralph listened to rodger sing and nodded his head,

"Aye ye may be right that do be sounding better than me own ditty, I give ye this one but nex....."

His sentence trails off as Corinna manifests near Sven, and tell her tale his mind started to work itself into overdrive as he shifted mentally through the info she supplied Sven with. then as she vanshed again he started to work,

"I be working on the best course now Ca'tin just give me a secound, there I got it"

[ Spoiler ]

Navigation/sea

10, 3, 5, 5, 2

[Sphynx]

"Thou hath done well Ralph,", it was obvious that the Captain was more than slightly enjoying the feel of the wind on his face, his eyes having been closed for some time, "Why don't ye come hither and take the wheel then, thou hath more than earned it." He steps up to the bow, sitting with his face to the wind, nothing but the nose of the ship and the water before him. This is the position he's in when Corinna returns, he smiles and follows her out to the water, to take a look at the vessel himself.

[ Spoiler ]

Astrally Projecting, lemme know if you need any rolls please.

[kevyn668]

Dusty tries to whistle along with the bawdy dwarves but he just doesn't know the tune. He consoles himself with a long pull from the flask hanging on a rope from his belt.

He braces himself agaist the wind by putting his back to the mast. He follows the cap'n's and Corinna's gaze as best he can but can't see anything on the horizon just yet.

Being too lazy to reach into one of his cargo pockets for the mini-binocs he shrugs, and takes another pull from the flask.

[Sandoval Smith]

Corinna didn't stop to think that Sven might've followed along after her, and he took her by surprise as she emerged from below decks, having taken another long look at the room with the long tables and dying fish. Kitchen or veterinary clinic? "You have any idea what they're saying Captain?" she asked.
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[ Spoiler ]

Taking a close look at that room with the long tables, trying to figure out what it is.
Perception: 5,5,4,4,2,1.

[RangerJoe]

Again scouring the ship with her gaze, Corinna begins to put together the details of the vessel. Lost in the swirl of auras of many living things, a general impression begins to develop-- the boat is probably a fishing vessel, and the long tables part of its mess (in terms of comestables, working on a fishing ship beats piracy any day... provided you like fish...)

Floating above the vessel, Sven notices most of the same details that Corinna does. The ship is abuzz with activity-- lines are being cast, crew are scurrying about, orders are being screamed, and grumbling responses are being given.

[ Spoiler ]

If Sven wants astral details, make an assencing roll. Keep in mind Corinna has made an awful lot of checks, so there might not be a lot more to find. Also, I'd like to see an intelligence test (astral quickness) test from Corinna, as she's been snooping about a ship crowded with auras she risks passing through.

[Sandoval Smith]

Corinna wants to slap her head in disgust as everything clicked into place. The fear, desperation, and despair that were filling the astral plane were all coming from the fish. That made a lot of the incongruities of what she'd been observing fall into place. There was nothing wrong with any of the people on the boat. It was all coming from the fish getting hauled into the hold and processed. And here she thought she might've stumbled onto something interesting, but it was just a fishing boat.

She'd been up too long. It was probably getting close to twenty-four hours, and it was messing with her attention span. Otherwise she should've figured out this was a fishing boat sooner. She also realized that she'd stopped being careful to avoid passing through other people.

"Sorry Captain," she said, catching up with Sven's astral form. "I think I jumped the gun. Just looks like a fishing boat. I'll go do another sweep for any interesting boats out there, but I should probably get some sleep soon."
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[ Spoiler ]

Just for the record, Corinna's astral form wears surgical scrubs, with a lab coat, and a stethoscope around her neck. She also carries around a half-smoked cigarette.
Astral quickness: 16,8,5,3,3,2

To try and speed things up, Corinna will go out looking for another ship if Sven gives the say so. First she'll check to see if there is an astral security on it, and then try and determine just what the ship is up to. Once she's got that figured out, she'll report back to Sven.

[Sphynx]

Sven grins, his Astral Form looking like a over-sized Viking. "Tis naught. We'll keep heading in our general direction.", he smiles, and heads off towards his body. "Tis a Fishin boat ahead mates," Sven shouts to the crew once he's returned to his body. "We be steerin clear o' that, continue straight on. And tells me, Be ye wantin te drop the sails and push this baby to the limits with the motors, or be the winds enough for thee as we push through?" It was obvious that now that he wasn't at the steering wheel, he was wanting to feel the wind even stronger against his face in a way that only high speeds could do.

[Ray Becker]

"Aye, Aye Ca'tin straight ahead it be"

Ralph made the apppropiate corse changes and then griined at Sven question.

"Ye be the Ca'tin, Ca'tin what ever ye wish we be powerd by be what we be powere by."

[RangerJoe]

The good ship ShipNameHere surges ahead through the evening. As the sun dips down below the tropical horizon, the winds fall off from the stiff breeze that's been at the ship's back all day to a flower-scented whisper out of the west. The ship slows, but its high-tech sails still capture enough of the breeze to make headway to the north. It is that pensive time of evening when thoughts turn to supper and even the seasoned sea-goer wishes he were back ashore for a wild nightly luau on the beach.

No longer alarmed by the ship's meteoric pace, a pod of dolphins surfaces off to starboard, and begins pacing the ship, splashing and playing as dusk gathers.

[Sphynx]

Sven begins the afternoon by turning the Electric Motors on, he wants speed and since they're now heading away from the glare of the sun, he decides to enjoy the afternoon with a drink in one hand, and the wind to the face. He conjures forth a spirit of the Water to increase the speed even further. By the time the sun starts to set, the tear strewn face of the Orcan Captain is filled with the smile of a man truly content. He almost wants to jump in the water when he sees the dolphins, but travelling at 140 mph / 225 kph would be a deadly way to go swimming. So instead he goes to the edge of the bow and raises his bottle to him while singing old Man O' War songs at the top of his drunken lungs to the fishes.

[kevyn668]

After the cap'n and doc get back from the astral recon with a "nothing to see here," report, Dusty focuses on his one true passion: doing nothing.

After the engines are engaged, he strips to the waist and lays claim to spot on the deck that will him take advantage of the late afternoon rays.

Periodically, he pulls from the flask but for the most part he just enjoys the smell of the sea and the sound of drunken dwarves.

[Sandoval Smith]

Aside from the fishing trawler, there just didn't seem to be much out there of interest, and finally Corinna came back to her body. Her eyes were feeling a little grainy; it was definetly time to turn in and get some sleep.

The speed that the boat was traveling gave her hammock an exagerated swing as the hull bounced over the waves, and when she finally got the zipper open, it dumped her out less than gracefully. Grumbling, she mixed herself a nightcap, then settled in to her beanbag chair to sip it. The alcohol made her eyes feel a little less gritty, easing the lines of tension that had been tightening behind her forehead. She stretched out her toes in the sunbeam coming in through the porthole, settled deeper into the chair, and closed her eyes.

Four hours later she came back on deck, bright eyed and bushy tailed from a little bit more than a full night's sleep. She couldn't help but wince, just a little as she heard Sven belting out sea chanties with a great deal more enthusiasm than talent. Her mouth had been a little dry when she woke up, so she'd slipped on down to the mess and mixed up a pitcher of her special 'wrong island' iced tea, bringing along a few extra cups in case anyone else was thirsty too. "I trust that no one managed to impale themselves on the mast while I was napping," she says, observing who else was up and about on deck.
--------------------------

[ Spoiler ]

Corrina botched her will save to stop drinking after the one shot she needed for her geas, so drinks for whoever wants them.

Wrong Island Ice tea:

[ Spoiler ]

.75 oz dark rum
.75 oz gold tequila
.75 oz vodka
3 oz sweet and sour mix
1.5 oz cola

[ Spoiler ]

Multiplied to a pitcher sized serving of course

[RangerJoe]

As the hours pass, the ShipNameHere bounds ever closer to Bermuda-- isle of mystery, intrigue, and shorts. As Corinna's beverages slosh about with the rolling of the ship, condensation beads up on glasses at a rapid rate. it doesn't take much of a sailor to know that this means humidity-- an observation corroborated by the thin fog which is wafting about the vessel.

[ Spoiler ]

Man, I should start keeping a booze inventory on this ship. Assuming you drink the top-shelf liquor..... Whoever is on watch should make a perception roll

[kevyn668]

Hearing the cups clink together, Dusty lazily opens one eye. Upon seeing the doc emerge from below decks with a pitcher of her famous brew, he lifts his head.

"Hey now, that looks like it would hit the spot." Dusty props himself up on an elbow as he looks around the deck. "Cop a squat, omae."

[ Spoiler ]

I don't know if getting drunk with the ship's doctor counts as being "on watch," so I'll refrain from rolling unless told otherwise.

[RangerJoe]

With all eyes focused on the cool, delicious beverages being served on deck, the mist gathers largely un-noticed around the ShipNameHere, obscuring the horizon under a shimmering magnesium glare. The approach of another vessel is smelled even before the dull thrum of its large electric motors can be heard through the moist haze--pina coladas. Lots of pina coladas. The pungent admixture of watered-down cocktails, cheap flask Soyverclear, and human pheremones wafts through the foggy air to your eager nostrils. At length, music begins filling the air--hardly a rhythmic whisper at first, the sound gradually grows into a mix of top 40 rubbish, neo-Island regge, and 'billy-rock. A fog-horn pierces the air, followed by an immense cheer. Something strange is coming this way.